DFES EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM

What is the Emergency Alert telephone warning system?

Emergency Alert is a telephone warning system employed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and other hazard management agencies in order to send emergency information to communities via landline and mobile telephones.

The system works by sending voice or text messages to phone numbers based on their service address or location.

It is a national system used by the fire and emergency services in all States and Territories.

When is an Emergency Alert message issued by DFES?

Emergency Alert voice and text messages are not sent for every incident DFES responds to. They are sent to areas where lives and homes are determined to be under direct and imminent threat. A DFES Incident Controller determines the warning area that the alerts should be sent to depending on the level of danger to the community.

How do I get an Emergency Alert message?

You do not need to register or sign up to Emergency Alert.

All landline and mobile telephone numbers (including silent numbers) are automatically registered to receive a warning based on their billing address. DFES works with the telephone carriers in order to send the warnings.

Please contact your telephone provider to ensure that phones are registered to the correct billing address in order to receive messages about incidents which may affect that address.

Emergency Alert can also send texts to mobile phones based on their last known location. Every time a mobile phone is active within the mobile network its location is established. If that last known location is within the warning area determined by a DFES Incident Controller the phone will also be sent a message. This technology is designed to capture visitors and travellers in the area under threat.

If your phone is billed to your home address, and your home is within a DFES telephone warning area, you will receive alerts about incidents affecting that address, regardless of your location.

If your phone is located within the DFES telephone warning area, it should receive an alert regardless of your billing address.

It is important to remember that Emergency Alerts sent to your mobile and landline telephone are just one way that you can receive information.